VIDEO | Tiny dancer steps out of line to fame

Since she broke ranks and started freestyling on stage at the Savoy Theatre a few months ago, tiny Hillside dancer Ivanah Campbell, just six years old, has been stealing the show with her moves and now has her own Facebook page.

The extroverted grade 1 pupil has racked up more than 35,000 followers since the page was set up in May, with one video topping more than three million views.

“I just got bored,” the Young Park Primary school pupil said of her line-busting moves in the Portia Appolis dance and fitness studio’s dance concert in November 2018.

Ivanah said that when her classmates started missing the cue and forgetting their moves, she had decided to do her own thing.

The little dance diva lives with her grandparents and aunt Tania Mejanie, 26, who said she was not surprised when her niece made her way to the front.

“Ivanah does not like standing at the back, she loves the spotlight.

“And slowly, during the recital, she started moving towards the front of the stage,” Mejanie said.

“When she started dancing, all the parents and friends at the show stood up and cheered her on.

“They even stopped taking videos of their own children and starting taking videos of Ivanah.”

Mejanie started the Facebook page in May to post Ivanah’s dance videos because of the feedback they had received.

And Ivanah the Dancer now has more than 37,000 followers – and climbing.

Ivanah said dancing gave her “the best feeling”.

“I started dancing when I was really young, it all started when I was three years old,” she said.

“I loved dancing. Whenever a song played I just started to move. I’d even copy the moves I saw on my favourite music videos.

“I love music, it does something inside my heart.

“When a song plays, my body gets this itching feeling, I just want to dance. When I start dancing I feel so happy.”

Mejanie said they had enrolled Ivanah in a dance school in 2018.

She takes classes every Saturday and dances every chance she gets, whether it is at home, in the street, at school and even at aftercare.

“I take swimming, ballet and hip-hop, and hip-hop is my favourite because [of the beat].

“Chris Brown and Ariana Grande are my favourites,” she said, adding that she wants to grow her hair as long as Ariana’s.

“Finesse [by Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B] is my current favourite song and I taught myself the [routine] they do on the music video.

“Ballet is too slow for me, but I still do it because my granny wants me to,” she said.

Mejanie said her niece was very entertaining and confident.

Ivanah has an answer for everything and when she speaks about dance there is a glow in her eyes.

“One of the boys on my transport said he wants to do dance battle with me at school.

“I know I can beat him because I’m very talented and I’m the leader in my dance group,” she said with confidence.

“When I’m a little bit older I want to be on Maak my Famous.”

Ivanah showed off her best moves during the interview, ending with the perfect splits – which she has been able to do since the age of three.

She loves to watch YouTube dance videos and her dream is to be a choreographer.

However, for clarity, her aunt says Ivanah is not yet open for bookings despite what her fan page suggests.